@beastion 27 April 2021 more from that month

Seeds of Chaos: Chapter 11 (Going Down the Mountains)

**Chapter 11** Walking towards the back of the cave, Rennel saw a red-furred “pup” crying out blindly. The “pup” was sniffing the air around it obviously looking for its mother. It called to its mother from time to time but received no reply. Although it was dark, Rennel could still see clearly. She can tell that despite having different color fur, the "pup" was indeed the monstrous wolf's offspring. There's no mistake about it. The reason Rennel was so sure was because of the size of the "pup." “It’s big!” Rennel could not help but exclaimed to herself loudly after seeing the size of the “pup.” The size of the "pup" was enough to stop anyone on their tracks. How could she not be surprise? It really was big! How big you asked? The "pup" was as bigger than a regular sized wolf! Rennel was really shock. But upon remembering the size of the “pup’s” mother, the girl was somewhat able to accept it. Still, a wry smile appeared on the girl’s face. How is she supposed to carry the “pup” to its mother? Should she slung it on her back, or should she princess carry it? No matter how she choose to carry the "little" monster, it’ll be a really awkward scene. “Whatever... It's not like there were other people around” Having made out her mind, Rennel carefully approaches the monster “pup” and stopped a few feet away from it. The “pup” who was crying all this time as it calls for its mother suddenly stopped crying and perked its ears and turns towards the girl's direction. Seeing the “pup” up close, Rennel’s heart could not help but soften. It can’t be help, it was really cute. Moreover despite being bigger than that of a regular wolf, the “pup” was indeed still a pup. Heck, its eyes haven’t even opened yet. Although it could not see yet, the “pup” could still hear and smell. It smelled the scent of its mother along with an unfamiliar scent. Rennel could tell with a glance that the "pup" plans on approaching her. Of course, if the “pup” could see, it might have been more wary at the sight of a stranger – especially if that stranger was wielding a weapon. I'll definitely not approach her. But since it could not see, the “pup” had almost zero wariness and sense of danger. It sniffed the air again and again until it homed into Rennel’s direction. It unsteadily crawled towards the girl and stopped in front of her. Seeing the “pup’s” adorable action, Rennel was instantly smitten and kneeled on one knee. She extended her hands and gently pats the head of the “pup. The “pup” was slightly startled by the pat but did not dodge. Instead it raises its head as if asking to be patted more. Apparently, the “pup” likes pats. Rennel gave in and continuously patted the head of the “pup” – making it whimpered adorably. It was such a nice feeling that Rennel doesn't want to stop. Sadly, it was not the time for pats. Although Rennel still wanted to pet the adorable “pup” some more, she stop herself from giving the “pup” more pats. Instead, she picked up the “pup”, much to its surprise and carried it in her arm similar to how human parents carry their child. The pup struggled as it was not used to being carried like that but after its back was gently caressed by Rennel with her other hand (the hand she held her spear with), the “pup” started calming down. The sight of a young girl carrying a big “pup” in her hands was really surreal. After all, the “pup” was almost as big as her! Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how one sees it, no one was around to comment on this surreal scene. But even if there were people around, Rennel would still carry the “pup” on her hand without care. After walking for a while, Rennel finally returned to where the monstrous wolf was. There she saw her teacher floating in mid-air looking rather bored. On the floor was the mountain-like body of the unconscious Black. Judging by the monster’s appearance, Rennel could tell that her teacher had healed the monstrous wolf's injuries. Seeing this, Rennel finally let out a sigh of relief. Earlier she was worried that the monstrous wolf might have suffered injuries that were difficult to heal. But after seeing the monster’s current condition, it was clear that she was overthinking things. Yes, she shouldn't have doubted her teacher's ability. Her teacher was still omnipotent! As she grew closer to the monstrous wolf, the “pup” that was previously quiet on her arms became rowdy. It has smelled the scent of her mother, and desperately want to go to it. If not for Rennel holding the “pup” firmly, it might have already jumped off of her hands – hurting itself in the process. Rennel went in front of the monstrous wolf and gently put the “pup” down. Upon feeling the ground on its feet, the “pup” grew excited as it walks unsteadily towards it mother. The “pup” fiddled its way to the monstrous wolf belly, and upon finding what it was looking for, the “pup” started sucking. Seeing this, Rennel could only shake her head while smiling wryly. The moment the “pup” was with its mother, the little monster had completely forgotten her completely! “Teacher, how’s Black’s condition?” Rennel asked as she watched the mother and child with gentle eyes. “Worry not, that black monster wolf no longer in any danger. I had restored it to its peak condition without leaving any sequela. It’s only unconscious because of exhaustion. It should wake up in an hour or two,” Chaos explained. Rennel nodded her head with a satisfied smile. With her teacher’s assurance, she no longer has to worry about anything. All she needed to do now was to wait for the monster wolf to regain consciousness. And as her teacher predicted, an hour or so later, the monstrous wolf finally woke up. **** Meanwhile... Outside the village of Fahl, an old man can be seen walking back and forth while looking at the snow-covered mountain from time to time. On the old man’s time-worn face, a look of worry could be seen. But her feeling was understandable. How could he not worry? He had just sent a young girl with a bright future ahead of her to the mountains to face off against a monster. You might have guessed it by now but the old man that’s been walking back and forth with a worried look on his face was none other than the old village chief of the village of Fahl. And the young girl that was sent to face off against a monster was Rennel. Granted, Rennel was no ordinary girl but was instead an adventurer with quite the reputation in the town of Alchur who took on the quest to subjugate the monstrous wolf that plagues that village. The fact remained; Rennel was just a young girl with a bright future ahead of her. If she died fighting the monstrous wolf, the village chief would carry the guilt for the rest of his life. “Please be safe…” The old village chief prayed softly for the girl's safety. While the old village chief was praying for the safety of the girl, an old woman, along with three village men approaches the old village chief. “Old man, you been out here in the cold for many hours now. It’s not good for your health. Why don’t you go back for now and let the young ones do the waiting?” The old woman pleaded. The old woman was none other than the wife of the old village chief. Just like the village chief was worried for Rennel’s safety, the old woman was worried for her husband’s health. After all, the old village chief was no longer young and staying in such a terribly cold weather would be bad for his health. “Just give me a little more time. I’ll go back if the girl still didn’t return in another hour.” The village chief said. The old village chief fully understand his wife’s worry, he also understand that he’s no longer as strong as he once was, and that the cold would be bad for him. Still, he could not calm down unless he sees the young girl safely returning. “Didn’t you say that that girl was an adventurer with quite the renown in Alchur? Surely she could handle herself well. Since she took the quest, she must be confident of her ability.” Seeing that her husband still wanted to wait for the girl, the old woman could only try to reason with him. “Yes, that was what written in the introduction letter sent by the boss of Alchur’s adventurer’s guild. Knowing that man, he will not send someone unqualified. But still, I could not help but worry. The weather had been really terrible lately. Forget the monstrous wolf; the weather itself is an enemy during this time of the year.” The old village chief explained. Hearing her husband’s reasoning, the old woman could not help but agree. The girl’s opponent is not just the monster but nature itself. While the two were conversing, one of the villagers noticed something and yelled. “Something, something’s approaching!” Upon hearing the villager’s yell, everyone, including the village chief and his wife turned towards the mountains. And among the fog and the white snow, a huge black figure approaches! “It’s the monstrous wolf!” Everyone panicked after realizing that the figure coming down of the mountains was the same monster that had been stealing their livestock – the same monster that the young girl was supposed to subjugate. “No, no way! Did the girl fail?”  The old village chief’s heart grew heavy upon seeing the approaching figure. Since the monster came, does that mean that something happened to the girl? The atmosphere grew heavy as the villagers present upon realizing what might had happened. Feeling gloomy, the old village chief could only let out a deep sigh. “Hurry, have someone ring the bell. We must inform the rest of the villagers, so that they could prepare weapons to fight the monster.” The village chief ordered after forcefully calming himself. “I’m on it, chief!” One of the villagers answered. Although he was greatly saddened by girl’s (presumed) death, the old village chief could only throw the sadness he was feeling in the back of his heart. Right now, he could only do his duty as the village chief and prepare for battle against the creature. “Wait, chief, there’s a person beside the monster!” Another villager exclaimed. “What did you say?!” The village chief run to the front and put his hand on his brows to have a clearer look. He stared intently at the approaching figures and finally saw a silver-haired girl walking by side of the monstrous wolf! “She’s alive!” The old village chief exclaimed excitedly. Seeing the girl alive and well, the village chief trembled in excitement. In his excitement, he wanted nothing but to approach the girl but was stopped by villagers who noticed his intent. “Chief, please calm down!” The village chief tried to struggle but the two villagers who stopped him were much stronger than he was. Angered, he yelled at the two villagers. “What are you doing?! Let go of me!” The village chief ordered. “That’s our line! Why are you rushing just like that? You don’t even know what’s going on. Do you want to die or something?” One of the villagers scolded harshly. Hearing the angry words of the villagers, the old village chief finally regained his clarity. He was so happy to know that the girl was alive and well that he almost lost himself to the excitement. “Seriously, old man, where did your usual calmness go? That’s not like you at all.” His wife scolded. The village chief’s face reddened in embarrassment after being scolded by his wife. He got to admit, he really did lost control back there. Although the girl was with the monstrous wolf, no one really knows what happened so rushing just like that without confirming the whole situation would be dangerous. It wasn’t like him to be so thoughtless. **Ring, ring, ring!** While the village chief’s wife was scolding the old village chief, the village bell suddenly rang. Hearing this, the villagers knew that something had happened. And with the explanation from the villager who rang the bell, the villager men pick anything that they could use as a weapon. Having instructed the elderly, the women and children to close and lock the door, the village men went to the village gate facing the mountains and waited with bated breath for the village chief and the other to return. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the village men finally saw the old village chief and his wife, the villagers who accompanied the village chief, as well as the silver-haired girl and incredibly large wolf! ****   **To be continued** Previous Chapters: https://read.cash/@beastion